SWING Synonyms: 182 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'swing' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of swing are fluctuate , oscillate , sway , undulate , vibrate , and waver . While all these words mean "to move from one direction to its opposite," swing implies a movement of something attached at one end or one side. // the door suddenly swung open

Q: When might 'fluctuate' be a better fit than 'swing'?

Although the words fluctuate and swing have much in common, fluctuate suggests constant irregular changes of level, intensity, or value. // fluctuating interest rates

Q: When is it sensible to use 'oscillate' instead of 'swing'?

The words oscillate and swing are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, oscillate stresses a usually regular alternation of direction. // an oscillating fan

Q: When could 'sway' be used to replace 'swing'?

While in some cases nearly identical to swing , sway implies a slow swinging or teetering movement. // trees swaying in the breeze

Q: When can 'undulate' be used instead of 'swing'?

In some situations, the words undulate and swing are roughly equivalent. However, undulate suggests a gentle wavelike motion. // an undulating sea of grass

Q: Where would 'vibrate' be a reasonable alternative to 'swing'?

The meanings of vibrate and swing largely overlap; however, vibrate suggests the rapid oscillation of an elastic body under stress or impact. // the vibrating strings of a piano

Q: In what contexts can 'waver' take the place of 'swing'?

While the synonyms waver and swing are close in meaning, waver stresses irregular motion suggestive of reeling or tottering. // the exhausted runner wavered before collapsing

swing 1 of 2

noun

Definition of swing

as in license

Related Words

Relevance

as in movement

Related Words

as in shift

Related Words

swing

2 of 2

verb

ˈswiŋ

as in to deviate

to change one's course or direction thinking that we were being followed, we abruptly swung to the left at the next intersection swing right at James St.

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to turn

to change the course or direction of (something) at the sound of gunfire, the cavalry officer swung his horse around and galloped rapidly back to the fort

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to manipulate

to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently a man who's able to swing two full-time jobs

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to rotate

to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis he swung the bat as hard as he could but he missed the ball don't let the wind swing that gate shut

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to hang

to place on an elevated point without support from below beach towels swung up to dry on the lifeguard's high chair

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to afford

to have enough money for I don't think that we can swing that hefty a mortgage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb swing differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of swing are fluctuate, oscillate, sway, undulate, vibrate, and waver. While all these words mean "to move from one direction to its opposite," swing implies a movement of something attached at one end or one side.

the door suddenly swung open

When might fluctuate be a better fit than swing?

Although the words fluctuate and swing have much in common, fluctuate suggests constant irregular changes of level, intensity, or value.

fluctuating interest rates

When is it sensible to use oscillate instead of swing?

The words oscillate and swing are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, oscillate stresses a usually regular alternation of direction.

an oscillating fan

When could sway be used to replace swing?

While in some cases nearly identical to swing, sway implies a slow swinging or teetering movement.

trees swaying in the breeze

When can undulate be used instead of swing?

In some situations, the words undulate and swing are roughly equivalent. However, undulate suggests a gentle wavelike motion.

an undulating sea of grass

Where would vibrate be a reasonable alternative to swing?

The meanings of vibrate and swing largely overlap; however, vibrate suggests the rapid oscillation of an elastic body under stress or impact.

the vibrating strings of a piano

In what contexts can waver take the place of swing?

While the synonyms waver and swing are close in meaning, waver stresses irregular motion suggestive of reeling or tottering.

the exhausted runner wavered before collapsing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of swing

Noun

When the light turns green, swing—and hopefully hit your shot with more accuracy than ever. — Eliza Thompson, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 These focus groups with swing voters are conducted every month in battleground states across the country. — Ashley Lopez, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026

Verb

The layoff axe swung back around at Netflix today and harder than ever. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Today, industry observers wonder if the next logical move for Candle would be to swing a deal for the company’s main remaining asset, kids entertainment powerhouse Moonbug. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swing

Noun

Expansion is underway beyond basketball, including tennis through the Laver Cup and a Jacksonville Jaguars NFL license.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is also gaining ground and wants to abolish the license fee that finances public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of license

Noun

In contrast to other Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar sees no threat in the Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement that spawned Hamas.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
Additional investments in chemical processing, fairing preparation, tooling, and storage will support the movement of hardware through the manufacturing process.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of movement

Noun

Having dressed numerous actresses throughout her career, Chiuri sees a shift in red carpet culture toward individualized creations and, more recently, greater restraint.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
Warsh described the global shift toward tighter monetary policy as a common fight on prices.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shift

Verb

But in Central Asia, far from the empire’s center, local artists sometimes used the mosaics to deviate from the official agenda.

— Yulia Denisyuk, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2026
But over time, due to a variety of systems issues with obtaining certain medications, the lethal injection protocol has deviated from the standard devised by Chapman.

— M. Sara Rosenthal, STAT, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of deviate

Verb

He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their back on him without knowing any of the facts.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
By July, the side project turned into a full-time job when MLB hired Weingardt as a principal product manager to explore changes to its flagship app.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of turn

Verb

Its tech helped investigators find that former Toronto Raptors big man Jontay Porter manipulated his play on behalf of bettors.

— Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Instead of filming hands of actual workers, young men with GoPro cameras strapped to their heads record themselves doing jobs while holding and manipulating what look like grippy robot claws.

— Diaa Hadid, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of manipulate

Verb

When the device rotates, the frequencies of these signals shift slightly relative to each other.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
But having a card that earns 2X rewards everywhere doesn't restrict you from opening a rewards card that earns a 3X return on popular categories or 5% back on rotating categories.

— Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of rotate

Verb

Things certainly aren’t going well when your defensive coordinator’s name is emblazoned across bedsheets hanging from your school’s fraternity windows, calling for his firing.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026
The looming fear of job loss hangs over an entire generation.

— Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of hang

Browse Nearby Words

swineherds

swing

swinging

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Style

“Swing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of swing

noun

verb

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